TTG - James Chapple
Fresh from pledging to decarbonise the UK maritime sector over the next two years, the UK government has earmarked a further £113 million to support the development of hydrogen and all-electric flight technologies – and launched a consultation seeking views on how to achieve zero-emission airport operations in England by 2040.
The money will support development by Vertical Aerospace of new "high-end, lightweight batteries for small aircraft", as well as "the building blocks" of a zero-emission liquid hydrogen combustion jet engine from Rolls-Royce.
Projects developed via the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme will be jointly backed by government and industry, with the programme last month celebrating the maiden flight of ZeroAvia’s 19-seater fuel cell-powered aircraft.
Together, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said zero-emissions aviation projects would sustain thousands of jobs across the supply chain and hundreds of millions of pounds in private investment.
In addition, the DfT on Tuesday (7 February) launched a new call for evidence exploring how to achieve zero-emissions airport operations in England by 2040, a target set as part of the government’s Jet Zero Strategy launched last July.
